Viewership for NBC's "Smash" was up 17 percent for its March 5 episode, according to published reports.

The latest episode of the hour-long musical drama series about the making of a Broadway musical snagged 7.8 million viewers, the most since its Feb. 13 episode.

In the 18-49-year-old demographic, it earned a 2.7 rating and a 7 share. The Feb. 27 episode earned a 2.4 rating/6 share in the 18-49 demographic, with 6.9 million viewers overall. Its overall viewership for the third episode (Feb. 20) was 6.5 million viewers.

The premiere episode was seen by 11.5 million viewers, while the Feb. 13 broadcast was viewed by 8.1 million viewers.

There are 15 episodes in the first season of the series created by playwright Theresa Rebeck (Seminar, Mauritius), with original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The 15th episode is currently in production in New York City.